Its the “Year of…

one of the big festivals in the Caribbean is held in barbados – usually in November – the Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) has declared that it will the Year of Festivals in the Caribbean. They, like many other destinations have decided that branding a year helps boost tourism. Last year it was the Year of Rejuvenation. Now it is the time for festivals to take centre stage.

The focus will be on events that have become an integral part of the Caribbean tourism calendar because, according to the CTO, festivals help to energise communities across the region, while giving visitors more reasons to enjoy the destinations. These celebrations also emphasize the unique characteristics that define the many diverse backgrounds and traditions which comprise the Caribbean’s cultural tapestry.

The 2019 Caribbean Year of Festivals will be promoted through social media and traditional media channels and will create opportunities for travellers and vacation planners to share their experiences. The Year of Festivals will highlight music, art, sailing, lights, food, rum, religious, literary and dance festivals celebrated throughout the region according to the CTO.

Closer to home, Wales will replace the 2018 theme – the Year of the Sea – with the Year of Discovery. But in a way it is a continuation because in 2019 the themes of the preceding three years will be brought together so that tourists can see “multi-layered views of Wales.”

For the last eight years, Visit Scotland has chosen a theme for each year, the last being Year of Youth in 2017. For 2019 there seems not to be a single theme. Other than the strapline, “Scotland Is Now,” Scotland wants us to know that they are a “friendly, passionate and innovative country and you’ll see that clearly everywhere you go.”